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Friday, September 7, 2012

The Problem With Geeks

A geek now-a-days is defined as someone very knowledgeable about a subject which can be considered odd, out of the mainstream, or to a degree above the norm. Geeks don't have to be smart, but their obsessions can be just about anything from Sci-Fi and anime, to Renaissance painting or stamps. The great thing about the internet is that it provides a conduit for these people to be open and learn even more, as a result we've realized how many of us are out there and we've become more mainstream.

The problem is, that while it's acceptable to be a geek now, most of us remember a time when you hid your obsessions from your classmates and hoped they just forgot you were there. So now, all grown up we lash out.

"You don't like Battlestar Galactica? You're not a REAL geek."

"You're unfamiliar with the works of Titian? Sorry we have to stop talking to you."

"Can't read binary? Get the fuck out!"

Like any child that's ever been picked on can tell you, when we picture revenge, we don't think of a harmony with the folks around us. Geeks don't dream of equality, we dream of getting even. But you can't really get even with people who just don't care. You see chances are you didn't make something of your obsession. Very few comic book geeks actually go on to making a career out of it, and even if you did, if the track star who picked on you in Highschool doesn't give a damn about comic books you're shit out of luck.

An so geeks sublimate with people who do care, and you get geek on geek violence, often called Trolling. They will pick apart your opinions, infer things you didn't mean, and just generally act like hooligans. It's really too bad, I don't like Lost, the Wheel of Time series, or scrap-booking, but I can see why other people do and I don't hate on them for doing so. And why can't I like Star Wars AND Star Trek? They're both awesome anyway!